Display device



C. R. WOOTEN DISPLAY DEVICE Dec. 19, 1939.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 25, 1939 IIIIIIII uw" I INVENTOR Carro/ RWoolen ma" ...U MM

ATTORNEYS Dec. 19, 1939. Q Rl WQOTEN 2,183,705

` DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Feb. 23, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Carrol R. Wooten lyuan/h, ATTORNEYS me. 19, 19390 c DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Feb. 25, 1959 3Sheets-Sheet 5 zb/w ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 19, 1939 UNITED STATESDISPLAY DEVICE l Carrol R. Wooten, New York, N. Y., assignor toBeech-Nut Packing Company, N. Y., a corporation of New York Canajoharie,

Application February 23, 1939, Serial No. 257,794'

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to display devices, and has for its objectto provide a novel and improved device of this character that is partic-`ularly adapted'for advertising purposes.

Other objects of the invention and features whereby they may beattained, will be readily understood from the followingv description andaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front View of a display device embodying the features ofthe invention in their preferred form;

Fig.` 2 isa view on an enlarged scale correspcndingfto a portion of Fig.1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views respectively taken on the lines 3-3and 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view, partly in elevation, takensubstantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. y

The device illustrated in the drawings is particularly adapted fordisplay in store Windows. The deviceis provided with a casing having abottom `wall 2, a top wall 4, a rear wall 6, end walls l, and a frontwall 8. The front-wall is provided with a rectangular opening or`windowIIl that is closed by a transparent window-pane I2. Near the ends of thewindow may be panels I4 spaced back of the window-pane, which may haveornamental pillars I5I formed thereon and packages of chewing gum IIi orvother articles.l

. The casing of the device may be in the form of a traveling case asshown, having a handle I8 to permit the device to be easily carried byvthe salesman. The window may be closed when ber 20 which is suspended onthe ends of links 22 having their other ends pivoted on the end walls 1of the casing.

Extending between the panels I4 is a sheet metal member 24 having Ushaped guideways 26 formed in its upper and lower edges, and anintermediate portion 28 connecting the guide,- ways and serving as abackground. The member 24 has a portion 30 extending downwardly andoutwardly from the upper outer edge of the lower guideway 26 to thewindow-pane I2, and has its front or outer edge spaced slightly belowthe window opening I0. The member 24 may be in simulation of a racetrack, the upright portion '28 being in simulation of the inner fence ofthe track.

The member 24 may be supported on the bottom wall 32 of a casing 33which in turn is detachably supported on the bottom Wall 2 of theoutside casing ofthe'device.

At the rear of the member 24 is an uprigh sheet metal member 34 havingits end portions curved in an arc to the inner edges of the panelmembers I4. The lower portions of the member 34 may be secured to thebottom wall132 and a partition or wall 35 of the inner casing 33. 'Ihefront side of the member-34 above the guide member 24 may have anillustration thereon of a portion of the inside of a coliseum'asindicated. Thus in looking through the Window there is seen therepresentation of a-race track having its inside fence formed by themember 28, and above that is seen the seats. of a'coliseum.l I

The guideways 25 of .the sheet metal member 24 serve to guide three'endless strips 36 of trans` parent flexible material. The longitudinaledges of these strips are received in the guideways so as to maintainthe strips in rubbing or sliding contact with each other throughout thelength of the guideways. The portion 28 of themember 24 is spaced inproximity to the rear side of the rearmost strip 36 so as to forml abackground for the strips. f

Each of the three strips 36 pass from one end of the guide member 24'between a pair of rollers 3l, 38 vertically arranged. The severalrollers are provided with flexible rubber sleeves 48 for frictionallyengaging the sides of the strip. The roller 38 of each pair isyieldingly pressedv toward the other roller 3l by means of a spring 42coiled about a rod 44 which carries an arm 46 that engages inl a groovedroll 48 in the center of said roller 38, the latter being in sectionsarranged at opposite sides of the roll 48. Said spring 42 tends to turnits associated rod 42 to cause the arm 46 to yieldingly press saidroller against the other roller, each roller 38 having the ends of itsshaft 58' mounted in elongated slots 52 in supporting plates 54 secured`to the inner casing 33 of the device.

The roller 3l of each pair has the ends of its shaft 56 extendingthrough bearing openings in thesupporting plates 54, and the upper endsof each of said shafts has a sprocket wheel 58 secured thereon. Thesprocket wheels of the roller y shafts 56 are all driven so as to drivethe rollers,

sizes so that in the construction shown the pair of rollers engaging theoutermost strip 36 is driven at the greatest speed, the adjacent stripis driven at a substantially lesser speed, and the inner strip is drivenat a relatively slow speed.

The several strips 3G pass from said pairs of rollers back of thepartition 35` of the inner casing, and enter the left-hand ends of theguides 26 through apertures 'l0 in the partition 35 and over guiderollers 12.

The outer strip 36 which travels at a considerably greater speed thanthe others, may be made much longer than the others and the slack in thestrip is permitted to form in folds in a space within the inner casing33 back of the partition 35.

The several strips may bear illustrations of racing figures, such aspeople, animals, and vehicles of various kinds. In the portions of thestrips shown in Fig. 2 the outer strip is provided with an illustrationof a vehicle 'i4 which is drawn by lions l5; the next strip is shownbearing the illustration of a vehicle 'I6 which is drawn by a pair ofostriches ll, and the innermost strip is shown bearing a vehicle 18which is drawn by one or more giraffes 19.

The various figures may have the appearance of being in motion so thatwhen all three transparent strips are driven at different speeds asdescribed the figures on the various strips have the appearance ofracing about the track of the Coliseum in a remarkable like-like manner.'Ihe vehicles may if desired carry illustrations of packages of chewinggum, candy, or other packaged products for advertising purposes.

As Will be evident to 1those skilled in the art, my invention permitsvarious modifications witnout departing from the spirit thereof of thescope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. In a display device of the class described, the combination of acasing having a window therein, a plurality of endless strips of exibletransparent material having corresponding porv tions thereof arranged inupright position transversely of the window and one behind the other,said portions of the strips being visible through said Window and theother portions of the strips being hidden from View, and means fortraversing said strips longitudinally at different speeds, the severalstrips bearing illustrations of racing figures so arranged as tosimulate a race between ie figures as the strips are thus traversed.

2. In a display device of the class described,

the combination of a casing having a window in the front thereof, aplurality of endless strips of exible material having correspondingportions thereof arranged in upright position transversely of the Windowand one behind the other in close proximity, said portions of the stripsbeing visible through said window and the other portions of the stripsbeing hidden from view, an opaque member at the rear of said portion ofthe rearmost strip in simulation of a fence at one side of a race track,the inside of a portion of a coliseum being simulated above the fenceand visible through the window, and means for traversing said stripslongitudinally at different speeds, the several strips bearingillustrations of racing iigures so arranged as to simulate a racebetween the figures as the strips are thus traversed.

3. In a display device of the class described, a plurality of endlessstrips of flexible transparent material, means for guiding correspondingportions of said strips in superposed relationship, and means fortraversing such strips in the same direction but at different speeds,the several strips bearing illustrations of racing figures so arrangedas to simulate a race between the figures as the strips are thustraversed.

4. A structure according to claim 3 in which an opaque member is spacedin proximity to the rear side of said portion of the rearmost strip.

5. In a display device of the class described, a plurality of strips oftransparent material having portions thereof arranged in superposedrelationship, and means for traversing said strips in the same directionbut at different speeds, the several strips bearing illustrations ofracing figures so as to simulate a race between the gures as the stripsare thus traversed.

6. In a display device of the class described a plurality of strips oftransparent material having portions thereof arranged in superposedrelationship, and an opaque member spaced in proximity to the rear sideof the rearmost strip, the several strips bearing illustrations ofracing gures so arranged as to simulate racing figures as the strips arethus traversed.

'7. In a display device of the class described, a casing having a Windowtherein at least three strips of flexible transparent material havingcorresponding portions thereof arranged in upright position transverselyof the window and one behind the other, said portions of the stripsbeing visible through said window and the other portions of the stripsbeing hidden from view, the outermost strip being longer than the otherstrips, and means for traversing said strips longitudinally at differentspeeds, the outermost strip being traversed at a greater speed than theother two, and the several strips bearing illustrations of figures soarranged as to simulate a race between the figures as the strips arethus traversed.

8. In a display device of the class described, a plurality of endlessstrips of flexible transparent material, means for guiding correspondingportions of said strips in superposed relationship, and means fortraversing said strips at different speeds comprising a pair of rollersbetween which each strip passes, means for yieldingly pressing therollers of each pair toward each other to cause them to bear in drivingcontact With the strip, a sprocket Wheel driving one of the rollers ofeach pair, and a sprocket chain in driving engagement with all of saidsprocket wheels.

CARROL R. WOOTEN.

